


A Hundred Shattered Pieces

by ThePackWantstheD



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: 4+1, Gen, Headaches & Migraines, M/M, Multi, Platonic Relationships, Relationship(s), Rivalry, Russian!Dakota Twins, Skateboarding, but north promptly puts York in his place about it, carwash siblings, more to be revealed when I actually write the rest, really intense arguments, there is one joke about abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-01
Updated: 2014-10-26
Packaged: 2018-02-11 07:30:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2059341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePackWantstheD/pseuds/ThePackWantstheD
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An inside look at the relationships of Agent Washington.</p><p>His friends, his family, his lover.</p><p>The ones that fell apart and the one that didn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Agent's North Dakota and New York

"Are you the new guy?"

Agent Washington - no longer David or Davy or even Private - glanced up from the piece of paper in his hand to find a man with swooping brown hair staring at him. He was wearing sweatpants and a tee-shirt, but there was something in the way he held himself that alerted Washington to the fact that he was the same as Wash - a soldier.

"Yes sir," Washington answered, straightening his back. He wasn't quite sure of the man's rank, and it seemed better to be overly polite as opposed to overly casual. "Agent Washington."

"Washington, huh?" He gave a soft hum before grinning, "Welcome aboard then."

"Thank you, sir." Washington glanced down at the piece of paper again.

"What are you looking at?" He felt the other step towards him, peering over his shoulder. "Is that your room assignment?"

"Yes. I got...turned around while looking for it."

"You're the kind of person who won't admit when they're lost then?"

"I'm not-"

Before Wash could finish his objection, there was a loud smack and a moment later the man let out a loud groan.

A heavily accented voice chided, "Don't be a hypocrite, York. You were one of the first recruits and you still get lost.."

Washington turned around, blinking when he saw the man in dark purple armor that hovered over the other. His helmet was in his hand, revealing short blonde hair and light blue eyes.

The other man - York apparently - rubbed a spot on the back of his head. He moaned, "That hurt like a bitch, you bastard. You didn't have to hit me with the helmet."

"And you don't have to harass the newbie."

"I wasn't even doing anything yet, North! You're becoming more and more like South everyday."

"Um...." Both men seemed suddenly aware of Washington's presence.

"Прости, прости!" the blonde declared, the foreign language slipping casually off his tongue. He held a hand out for Washington, "I'm Agent North Dakota, but everyone calls me North. Welcome to Project Freelancer."  
  
"Ah..." Washington reached out, gripping the hand tightly. "I'm Agent Washington. It's a pleasure to meet you."

North Dakota pointed a thumb in the other man's direction, "That's Agent New York. We all call him York."

York flashed him a smile and a thumbs up.

"Right...."

North gave a soft laugh, "I can understand your trepidation. He's not a bad guy, though. I have to run, but York should be able to show you to your room."

"Where are you going, by the way?" York questioned as North pulled his helmet on. "I didn't think anyone was doing missions today but you're all armored up."

"South and Connie asked me to do an extra training session with them. I should get going before they get angry."

"Angry lesbians are the worst."

North's nose scrunched and he punched York in the arm as he passed him, "Don't talk about my sister like that."

York wiggled his eyebrows at his back before turning to Washington, "Alright, come on. Which room did you get?"

* * *

Washington's body ached as he trudged into the rec room.  
He wore Maine's clothing instead of his own, letting the fabric hang off him, instead of his own which would brush against and agitate the bruises covering his skin.

He heard a low whistle before York called out, "You look like shit!"

He lifted his eyes, having been focused on the door on the other side of the room which would lead to his bedroom and his nice soft bed, to find York leaning against the air hockey table. North was on the other side, bending down to grab the puck from the tray.

"Shut up," Washington responded. "You'll be the same the next time you have a training session with Maine."

"That man is a beast."

"He's good at his job," North agreed. Straightening up, he said, "I thought you were with Wyoming this week though?"

Washington glanced at the door before sighing and changing his path, walking towards his friends. "Maine had it switched. He said I needed to improve my hand to hand."

"Big boyfriend problem number twenty seven," quipped York, "they kick your ass when you get hurt on a mission."

North's face scrunched. Then he said, "You could have phrased that better. You're making it seemed like Wash is being abused."

"Well, Maine may be big but I think Wash could handle him if that was the case." York spun the paddle around before sighing, "North's kicked my ass like ten times. You want to play, Wash?"

Wash could see the invitation for what it was - a silent invitation to do something that would distract from the pain. He shook out his shoulder, trying to relief some of the pain from when Maine had knocked at it in the sparring room, before nodding, "I think I could go for one or two before turning in."

He caught the paddle when York threw it to him.

"Give him hell, buddy."

North laughed, placing the puck back on the table as Washington stepped into York's place, "If you - the master of all stupid past times - can't beat me what makes you think Wash can?"

York shrugged and threw out offhandedly, as he settled into one of the plastic chairs near them, "I have to have hope that at least one of my friends is gonna make up for all my shitty faults."

* * *

Wash walked into the cafeteria and stopped when he saw North crouching on the floor. His fingers were in his hair and his hands were pressed against his cheeks. South was crouched next to him. Her face was filled with genuine concern that he hadn't seen on her face since North's implantation. It always seemed to be anger now days.

"What's going on?" he questioned as he entered the group of people surrounding the twins.

"Gamma and Wyoming spooked Theta," answered Carolina. She was biting her lip, another person Wash hadn't seen look concerned in a long time. "South tried to help once he went down, but you know how Theta is about her..."

Wash ran a hand through his hair, still mused from sleep, as he questioned, "Where's York? He's usually good with Theta." He thought silently, that is York couldn't calm the AI then at least Delta could.

"He got called in for some tests." Carolina glanced over at him, "You're good with the kid too, aren't you?"

Wash stared at her for a minute before sighing. "Can you go to my room and grab my skateboard?" She nodded before turning around and leaving.

He took a deep breath before approaching the pair. He put a hand on South's shoulder, "I've got it."

South looked at him, and for a second he saw the same girl who was tough as nails but frightened to death of loosing her brother from before the leaderboards and the AI, before standing up and shouldering past him.

Washington watched her for a minute before crouching down in front of North. He pursed his lips in thought for a minute before murmuring, "Theta? Can you come out so I can talk to you?"

There was nothing before the pink AI flickered into existence on North's slouched shoulders. He rushed out, "Wash! I hurt North! I don't want to hurt North! What do I do!"

He heard North's groan, the pain obviously spiking as Theta voiced another worry.

"You've just gotta calm down, Theta." He glanced around the room, searching for Carolina before speaking again when he didn't see her, "What scared you, little guy? I thought you liked Wyoming's jokes."

Theta shook his head, "I do but this one was really creepy! And then Florida started laughing too and..."

Wash nodded his head, "I can see how that's spooky. Florida can be a little creepy."

"A lot creepy!" Theta squeaked.

Wash hummed softly, turning when he felt someone approaching him.  
Carolina handed him the skateboard without a word.

"Hey, look what I got, Theta," he declared when he turned back around. "How about I show you a few new tricks?"

Theta gave a small nod.

Wash waited until the group had cleared out of the way to set the board on the ground.  
He didn't think much as he went off, performing ollies and grinding on the benches.  
He could hear Theta giving soft 'oohs' and 'aahs' and when he skated towards them a few moments later, he saw that North was standing up now.

He stopped himself when he was in front of North again.

Wash questioned, "Better?"

North nodded, a small smile on his face, "Much. Thank you, мой друг."

Wash didn't know what it meant but the warm way North said it made him feel good.

* * *

Wash rubbed his hands together as he walked through the hallways. His stomach churned with every thought about the morning.

"Wash?" The blonde glanced behind to find North and York approaching. Both men were dressed in their sleepwear with their AIs on their shoulders.

Wash gave a small smile, waving a hand, "Hey. Theta and Delta making it hard to sleep again?"

"Yeah but," North's eyes knitted together, worry settling on his features, "what are you still doing awake? You should be sleeping."

York nodded his agreement, "Your implantation is tomorrow."

"I know but..." Wash chewed on his bottom lip.

"If I may," Delta declared, drawing all eyes over to him, "given Agent Washington's body language and the date, I believe he is experiencing what you call 'nervousness.' The source of which, may be his upcoming implantation."

"No!" York raised an eyebrow at Wash's outburst. He sighed, running a hand through his hair, "Okay, yeah. I'm a little bit nervous about the implant."

"It'll be fine," North declared. He patted Wash's shoulder. "And it doesn't hurt, I promise."

"Yeah but what if Epsilon is like Gamma? I don't want to start telling knock knock jokes or..." He trailed off.

"Aw, it'll be fine Wash!" York insisted. "The last time you got paired with someone, they hardly ever spoke and that turned out okay! You'll probably just get an AI like that."

"Unless you count the part where that partner and I were involved in a romantic relationship and when he got his AI, I can't even tell if we're still together because everytime he talks to me he does it through an AI!

York and North exchanged a look before North spoke softly, "I knew something was off with the two of you but I didn't it was that bad. Is that why your worried about your implantation?"

"Yes? No?" Washington groaned. "I don't know. I don't want things to get worst between Maine and I but there are definitely other things I'm worried about when it comes to Epsilon."

There was silence for a minute before York spoke, "Alright, it's clear none of us are going to get to sleep so how about we go to the rec room and play a video game or something."

Theta piped up, entering the conversation for the first time, "North, maybe Wash and York can help us with those minigames."

"Minigames?" Wash questioned.

"We're trying to beat Thrillville," North declared. "I can't seem to get the gold on some of the minigame challenges though and Theta refuses to move onto the next park until I do."

"Let's do it," York cheered. "Those games are like...thirteen plus aren't they? Between the five of us we should be able to finish it."

"Is that okay with you, Wash?"

Wash nodded, "Yeah. It's not like I was going to sleep anyway."

* * *

Everything comes crashing down.

He's the only one left in the aftermath - well, Wyoming and Tex are there but he honestly couldn't care less about those two - as most of the team goes AWOL and Carolina's dead body lies at the bottom of a cliff. He tries not to think about who put it there.

He ends up as a recovery unit.

He retrieves Delta from York (and pukes after as he wonders if seeing his best friend's body was some kind of punishment from the Director for being the only one left) and tries to retrieve Theta as well. Even later, he'll put a bullet in South's head as he takes Delta back again.

When the Meta is dead and Epsilon out of his reach, after failing to do anything his best friends would have wanted him to do- he couldn't save the AI's they cared for so much, couldn't save the sister that North had never given up on, could tell York that there was no one else he'd rather give Carolina away too -, part of him wondered if it wasn't better to just be tortured in a prison cell instead of being free to ruin the other's memories as well.

Instead, he gets a set of light blue armor thrown onto him.


	2. Agent South Dakota

"Agent Washington," the Counselor declared as Washington entered the large observation room above the training center. "Welcome to Project Freelancer."

"Thank you, sir," he answered. He allowed himself a second to glance around. He recognized a few of them - Agents New York and North Dakota who he'd met upon arriving on the ship, Agent Maine who was his roommate, and his sister who stood in front of them all - but most of them were strangers to him.

"We begin our day with three match ups here in the training room. They consist of several rounds of hand to hand and then several rounds with paralyzing paint guns." The Counselor continued, "After that you will be given either time to improve your specialties or improve on areas you are lacking in until lunch. Then we return back here for the rest of the days match ups and then we participate in team building exercises until dinner." He glanced away from the clipboard in his hand and up at Washington. "Do you understand?"

"Yessir."

The door behind him slid open and a familiar south accent filled the air, "If everything as been explained to Agent Washington, we will begin the day now."

"Yes Director." Washington tried not to grind his teeth together as the man passed him. "I believe it would be beneficial to have Agents New York and Carolina go first."

"I am inclined to agree as Agent New York can still not follow the rule about keeping helmets on at all time during training," Washington heard a small swear and a laugh from where New York and North Dakota were standing, "however I believe it would be best to start off with Agent Washington."

"Yes sir," the Counselor agreed. He looked down at the clipboard again, "Should we start him out with Agent South Dakota?" There was a nod from the Director. He addressed the group, "Agent's South Dakota and Washington, you'll start in five minutes."

"Yessir," Washington repeated. He heard someone else echo the sentiment.

As he turned to walk out the door.

"So you're Washington huh?" an accent female voice declared. He glanced over to see someone in light purple armor, lined with lime green, walking next to him.

"You must be South Dakota," he responded.

"Sure am." Her voice was filled with competition, and a spark of joy, as she added, "And you're about to find out what it's like to get your ass kicked by a girl."

"I already know what that feels like," Washington answered, resisting the urge to turn around and share a look with his sister, "but I guess we'll see if I relive the experience or if I'm better at hand to hand then you."

South Dakota was silent for a minute before she burst into laughter. "Oh this is gonna be fun."

* * *

"That's bullshit!" South screeched. Her helmet ricocheted off the table and the Director moved slightly to the left as it sailed towards his head.

Beside Washington, North let out a heavy sigh and Wyoming muttered, "Well, there go my plans to get some lunch with Butch."

When the leaderboard first went up, none of them make a big deal of it. The rankings aren't really much of a surprise. Carolina had always been their leader and York her second, Washington and North were both excellent in their fields of expertise but average (for a freelancer that was, significantly above average for normal soldiers) when it came to other techniques, and Maine had always decimated on the field but been shit at actually achieving goals peacefully.

It's now that they know the names aren't set in stone that people have had an issue with it.   
South in particular.

"Do you have a problem, Agent South Dakota?" the Director drawled.

Washington didn't blame South for the way her jaw clenched at the words.

"Of course I have a fucking problem," she ground out. "I dropped below fucking Washington who I've proven over and over again that I'm better then!"

"Agent Washington completed his mission in a timely and, more importantly, correct fashion. He reached his objective and retrieved the files. His partner, Agent Wyoming, only had to assist him with deadly force in situation that were unavoidable." The Director looked up, meeting South's eyes. "You, on the other hand, were sent on a similar mission with a similar objective and required the help of Agent North Dakota several times due to your failure to follow his advice on setting your trackers. It is a shortcoming you have exhibited several times."When South went to open her mouth again, the Director cut her off, "That is the end of the discussion, Agent South Dakota. Until further notice, you are to stay number six on the leaderboard."

South's lips curled.

"South," North declared, speaking softly. He reached out a hand, placing it on South's hip. "Come on, lets go get lunch then we can go to the training room and-"

"Нет! Стоп обращаться со мной как с ребенком, брат!" she snapped, shifting so his hand fell onto empty air. Washington's eyes widened. While North tended to let affectionate terms slip out in their native tongue, he'd never heard South speak Russian before. "If you'd just let me take care of it myself fucking Washington wouldn't have passed me!" Before North could say anything else, she whirled on Washington. Her eyes almost seemed to have fire dancing int hem. "And you! Meet me in the training room in five minutes."

"Me?" Washington echoed. "Why would I do that?"

"Because if you don't, I'll kick your ass outside of it and you won't have the armor on, " South said. She slammed her hands against his armor and he stumbled into the wall. "I'm going to make sure neither you or anyone else on this fucking ship forgets that I'm a hundred times better then you at this job." She gave him one last shove, and his head bounced off the wall and against the metal inside his helmet, before whirling around and leaving the room.

There was silence for a minute before the Counselor spoke, "Director, perhaps we should ban Agent South Dakota's access code from being used on the training room?"

"No," the Director answered. "I will not take an opportunity to improve from one of our agents. Regardless of their emotional state." He turned, making his way out of the room, "You are all dismissed."

As North helped Wash away from the wall, the younger blonde's head spinning from the impacts, he found himself wishing (far from for the first time) that Leonard Church would actually give a shit about his son. It was the first time, however, that he wished it because he was genuinely frightened about what South Dakota could, and would, do to him.

* * *

Wash was sitting on the bench outside the research lab, his legs crossed under him as he chewed on his nails (he'd been doing that a lot more often lately), when he heard the foot steps approaching.

"They haven't taken her to med yet, York," he called out, not looking away from the tile he'd focused his gaze on.

"York's still training."

He looked up, already swearing in his head because fuck he should have known she was going to cause trouble, to find South standing in front of him. She wasn't in her armor, instead wearing sweatpants and a tank top.

"Carolina isn't even going to be awake when they finish," Washington snapped. "Are you really gonna bitch at her about this even when she's unconscious?"

"There's no need to bite my fucking head off," South said, holding her hands up in surrender. "I came down here to talk to you."

His eyes narrowed and he watched her suspiciously for a moment before questioning, "About what?"

"Her. What she's done to us."

Washington let out a sigh, "I should have known."

"It's wrong, Wash!" South exclaimed. Any signs of their former friendship slipped away with the words. "Eta and Iota were ours. They were our chance to catch up with them."

He set his head in his hands, already exhausted.  
He'd been sitting here for the whole day, trying to keep himself occupied as Carolina was implanted with her AIs and hoping it went as well for her as it had for North and York. York had been there earlier, chatting with him through the silence, but he'd had to leave for a mandatory spar.   
With the exception of the slight personality changes Wyoming and Maine had had and the headaches all of the implantees occasionally suffered, there wasn't any real issues with the AI's. It didn't stop Wash or York from worrying about Carolina though.

Given all of that, he really wasn't in the mood for South.

"Our chance to catch up with who?" he questioned.

"North and Carolina!" Her voice had raised as she spoke, not quite shouting but loud enough that it attracted the attention of any soldiers passing by. "They're always doing better then us! North and I were equal - we were a part of each other - until they gave him that talking flashlight! You have to feel the same way. Carolina is already faster, stronger, better then you and now she's taken away your only chance to catch up with her! Don't you want to get out of her shadow?"

He let out a sharp laugh, and it clearly shocked South because her mouth clicked shut. He looked up at her, meeting her eyes as anger swirled instead of him.

"You don't know shit about my sister and I," he hissed. "You don't realize how fucking luck you are. You're brother fucking loves you and he tries at every opportunity to let you do better then him! But you know what, shame on him for putting a stop to it when you're about to get yourself killed!"

Her shoulders had squared defensively. She said, "Don't talk to me about-"

"Shut your god damn mouth for once and listen!" Once again his words silenced her. "Even if I did live in my sister's shadow - which I fucking don't because unlike you, I know that she and I are completely different people and no one that really matters expects either of us to be just like the other - I would be so fucking happy to do that! I would be so fucking happy to live in her shadow because maybe then she's realize how fucking amazing she is! Because do you know what you haven't fucking realized about my sister, Agent South Dakota?" He rose to his feet, stepping towards her. "The thing you don't get is that my sister has been living in the shadow of a dead woman since we were children. She watched the person who read her bedtime stories and carried her on his shoulders become someone who was so consumed by lost that he couldn't even look at her. Do you know what it's like to be thirteen and have your sister smash a mirror because she looks like your mother?" Wash's hands reached up and he shoved South. She stumbled a bit, using her hands to stop her before she hit the wall. He stepped close so their breathe was mingling together and their noses almost touching. "So don't you dare compare my feelings to yours. Because the only thing I want is for my sister to feel as great as she is and if that means giving up a fucking AI, I'm more then happy to do so."

Silence reigned for a moment before someone cleared their throat.

Looking over, they found Four Seven Niner standing at the entrance of the hallway with her hands in her pockets.

"I came to check on how my buddy, Carolina, was doing," the pilot declared, "but if you two are gonna keep going I can leave."

"No." Wash stepped away from South. The blonde stared at him for a moment before leaving. She kept a wide length between herself and Four Seven Niner. "We were finished."

The other female glanced back, watching the retreating form until South had rounded the corner, before questioning, "I thought you were with the big guy?"

His eyebrows knitted in confusion. He answered, a bit hesitantly, "I am. Why are you asking?"

Four Seven Niner shrugged, "The two of you looked pretty close. Thought you were about to kiss her for a second there."

Wash couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled out of him. "God no, we've been rivals since the day I stepped on this ship and we can't stand each others guts. I was actually considering bashing her skull in."

"Mhm..." She strolled towards him and settled on the bench he'd abandoned. Throwing her hands behind her head, she questioned, "So how's my girl doing?"

He rubbed at his neck, walking over to join her, "I honestly have no god damn clue."

* * *

They don't speak much after that.   
There'd always been a tension between them - even back when they'd been friendly rivals - and after their conversation during Carolina's implant she almost seems to avoid him. Even though their frequently paired together in the training floor and on missions now, the only ones without AI's to help them, they keep their conversation to a minimum.

After the break in, they get split up. Wash becomes Recovery One and South and North become a team again under Recovery Two.   
Eventually though, he's sent into the field for her because North's beacon is going off and no one can reach her.

He still couldn't stand her, but he tried. North would have wanted her to be safe and he refused to let any AI, even if it's just Delta, into his mind after what Epsilon did to it so she was his only hope of taking down the Meta.

Predictably, and really he didn't know why he didn't see it coming, she shot him in his back when it counted and ran off with Delta in her head.

He's on a different mission when he finds her this time.   
He tried to keep the hate he felt for her at bay but Delta tells him she left brother to be killed, and Wash watched his sister be thrown off a cliff and even the thought of being the one who had put her there made him feel sick so he couldn't fathom how South had done it, and that they'd be better off getting rid of her now.

He loaded his pistol and leveled it at the head.   
A single bullet ended it all for her.

One of the blues with him lets out a loud sound and said, "Dude, you are some cold mother fuckers"

And he almost laughs because the man has no idea.


	3. Agent Maine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took me so long.  
> I struggled with what parts of their partnership and what parts of their /relationship/ to show.  
> It wasn't as simple as the others with the meeting, the before AI, and the after AI. So the parts are a bit shorter, but there's a few more of them.  
> Unfortunately the next one (Carolina who I am really really excite for) may take a while as well since school has started back up.  
> Also! For the freelancers other then Wash, whose name is canon I think??, I've recently taken to naming them after their capitals. So since Maine's capital is Augusta, I went with a name which started with "A" like that.  
> Let me know what you think of this chapter, and the previous ones if you haven't already!

"This is your room. We all room with our partners - well, North and I room together while South and Carolina room together for like sexual reasons I guess," Agent York declared as they stopped in front of one of the large silver doors. He looked up at the nameplate to the right of the door before patting Washington on the back. "Well then, good luck. See you in training tomorrow!"

"Uh...alright then."

Agent Washington watched for a second as the other Agent strolled away, his pace a little faster then it had been during their tour. He didn't particularly mind - he'd spent the last thirty minutes trying to talk his way of the other agent's tour anyway - but he couldn't help being a bit worried about the eagerness Agent York seemed to have about getting away from the room.

He glanced back at the door. On the right of the door were the room number - swooping silver that read '2342' - and a sliding nameplate that read "Maine and Washington".

He wondered if it was his roommate - Agent Maine? - who had spooked Agent York or if there was something he was missing.

Before he could think to much farther on it, he felt his body get heavy and his eyelids begin to droop. It'd been a long week - and the last few days had been especially hard as his nerves mixed with the strain of traveling in space - and his lack of sleep was finally catching up with him.

Adjusting the duffle bag on his arm, he punched in the access code he'd been given.  
The door slide open and Washington stepped in.

He stopped a few steps in.

Sitting on the floor, mid crunch was a man with dark colored skin wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants. He also happened to be bigger then anyone Washington had ever seen before.

Washington looked at him for a minute before saying, "You must be Agent Maine?"

The man stared at him before grunting and resuming his work out.

Washington stayed still for a moment, wondering if the man would say anything, before adding, "I'm Agent Washington. We're roommates now."

There was another grunt. He tilted his head towards the bed on the far wall - a bare mattress settled in wooden frame.  
  
Washington fidgeted a bit before clearing his throat and nodded, "Alright then. I'm just gonna...go to sleep."

Maine didn't even acknowledge that he'd spoken.

* * *

The locker room was quiet as Washington and Maine shuffled in.

In the months since they'd been partnered, the two of them had proven to work fantastic together. Wash was nimble and agile, taking care of the areas were Maine had a harder time reaching with his bulky frame. Maine had the brute force and aim that Wash sometimes lacked. Not to mention, Wash seemed to be the only one who actually understood Maine which worked wonders for their relationship on and off the field.

"What time is it?" Wash mumbled, giving a wishful glance towards the showers.

"Late," Maine grunted as he brushed past Wash, moving to his locker at the end of the row.

"Figures." Wash tossed his helmet into his locker. "I'll just steal some cologne from York and-" The growl from Maine had his mouth snapping shut. He gave a soft sigh as he started on the locks to his chest piece. "Fine. For the sake of you and your stupid nose, I'll take some of Connie's perfume."

Maine didn't answer.

"Do you think they'll make us wake up at six tomorrow?" Maine looked at him over his shoulder, arcing an eyebrow. Wash let out a sigh. "Yeah. You're probably right."

Wash let out a low curse when his fingers caught on the latch of his chest plate.

He brought his finger up to his mouth, sucking the blood that gathered off. He spoke around the limb, "That fucking hurt!"

His attention was drawn away from the injury by a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he said. Maine's hand didn't move. He turned a bit, so he could see the man standing behind him. "What?"

"Turn."

Wash looked at him for a minute, taking in the way Maine's lips were pressed together and his shoulders were tense, before turning so he was facing Maine. He was promptly pushed back, his armor clinked as it hit the locker.

"Maine? What the hell?"

"Shut up."

Wash let his mouth snap shut. It was rare that Maine spoke to him with such ferocity, it was usually reserved for when York or South did something stupid, and since Maine seemed worried about something it was best to just let him do what he wanted.

The second Maine's hands touched the latches on his chest plate though, Wash spoke again. He squeaked, "What are you doing?"

"Hurt you," Maine muttered, biting his lip in concentration.

"Yeah but it's fine. I'll just get it off and request a new suit tomorrow morning." Maine gave him a sharp look. He kept going anyway, "We're soldiers. Way worse things have happened then a tiny cut on some loose metal."

"Not around me."

Wash managed a small laugh and a joking, "That's because we're such a great team."

They fell silent, Maine snapping the rest of the latches on Wash's armor without a word.  
Wash let his head fall back, resting on the top shelf.

His head swirled with thoughts about this whole situation. A warm feeling spreading across his lower regions from being this close to Maine outside of a mission. He's always been attracted to his partner, the man was extremely nice looking, and his attraction hadn't been hindered by all the time they spent together. The more he realized that Maine was actually a great and funny person, despite preferring to be silent and serious, the more attraction seemed to fall towards 'crush the size of the United States'.  
There was also a pleasant feeling in his chest from someone caring about him enough to want to take care of him and make sure he didn't get hurt.

"Hey Maine," he declared as his chest plate was pulled off. Maine tossed the piece onto the bench before looking at him. "Would you get mad if I kissed you?"

Maine stared at him for a long time.

An apology was on Wash's lips, when suddenly there was a hand in his hair and a mouth on his.

* * *

Wash was lying on the couch in the rec room, his legs bunched up and his head resting on one of the throw pillows, when he heard the door slid open behind him.

He looked away from the movie he'd been watching to find Maine coming in the room.

"Hey," he greeted, smiling softly. "How was the mission?"

Maine gave a grunt and a shrug.

"Well, 'okay' is better then what I usually expect to hear when you get sent out with Wyoming." He turned back to the movie. "Are you gonna go to bed or do you wanna stay up and watch this with me?"

He leaned over the couch, his chest pressed against the fabric and his hands hanging down to brush against Wash's. "What is it?"

Wash pursed his lips before answering, "Honestly? I can't even remember the name. It's not a very good movie though." There was a sound half way between a growl and a chuckle. "Don't make fun of my romcoms. They're better then your shitty action movies."

"Cats and Dogs."

Wash let out a loud groan, reaching up with the hand that hadn't twined with Maine's and gave him a soft pat on the cheek, "It's a fantastic movie. I don't know why I'm the only one on this stupid ship who appreciates it properly."

"Not."

"It is!" Wash looked up at him, questioning, "Are you just gonna make fun of me or come cuddle?"

"Both." Maine hauled himself over the couch, Wash let out a gut when he landed on his legs, before snatching the remote from where it was on the coffee table. "Not this."

Wash opened his mouth to object, but snapped it shut quickly. "Yeah, go ahead actually. I'm just going to regret it if I spend two hours watching this movie."

* * *

Wash was walking down the hallway, eyes downcast and scanning the file he'd gotten for his next mission, when he rounded the corner and found himself slamming into something hard.

"Ow," he groaned. A hot pain slid down his neck from the force of his head bouncing off the surface.

"Are you okay, Agent Washington?"

Rubbing at his neck, he looked up to find Maine standing in front of him. Sigma was perched on the other freelancer's shoulder.

"I'm fine," Wash murmured, feeling his gut twist. His heart hammered in his chest. "I wasn't watching where I was going. Sorry."

As he went to walk past them, an armored hand flew out and grabbed his wrist.

Wash paused, considering yanking his wrist out of the grasp and walking away despite the possibly of a broken wrist, before turning his head to look back. "What is it, Maine?" He squashed down the part of him that wanted to cry over even having to ask the question. There had been a time when he could just look at Maine, even when his eyes where hidden by his helmet, and know what was going on.

"Agent Maine was wondering where you were going," Sigma declared.

Wash resisted the urge to grind his teeth together. "I'm going to find North and ask him where South is. We've got a mission."

Sigma gave a thoughtful hum before saying, "Agent Maine wishes to inquire on whether you would have lunch with him tomorrow. He wants to discuss your avoiding him and ask where you've been sleeping since you haven't been in your room."

"No," Wash answered, without having to think about it. He'd thought about what he'd do when Maine finally confronted him plenty. He felt Maine's grip on him loosen just a bit, perhaps in surprise at his answer, and yanked his arm away. "I have no desire to go on a date with you, Maine, when your just going to use your AI to talk to me the whole time. I understood you just fine without Sigma. I was happy with the silence or the one sided conversations. I wanted a relationship with you. Not with Sigma."

He felt as though his heart was shattering as he walked away, leaving Maine alone in the hallway.

He wanted to just get to North, find South, and get out on a mission that would take his mind off this whole thing. 

* * *

He makes an even bigger habit out of avoiding Maine after that.

It's almost shocking how easy it is.

He sleeps on the floor in York and North's room, which helps the two of them sleep because when Theta is busy listening to bedtime stories from Wash he's not keeping North up with his nerves and York isn't woken up by North shuffling out of bed to take Theta for a walk, instead of in the bed in his and Maine's. It's better that way anyway. It's be weird to sleep in his own bunk when they'd been sharing Maine's for months.

Maine and him aren't even partners anymore, so it's easy to avoid him as far as missions go. Wash is always with South, or someone outside the top ten, so they won't slow the AI's down.

Wash gets up early and eats at a time when he knows Maine isn't even thinking about waking up, eats dinner late when everyone else on the ship has already passed out.  
He does a surprisingly good job of avoiding him.

In fact, the next time he sees Maine properly, instead of just catching flashes of his white armor, is when he's watching the security footage of the freelancer breakin.

His mind is still a mess from Epsilon and when the Director looks at him and asks, "Do you know why he didn't bother killing you even though you were right there, Agent Washington?" He doesn't even think to lie.

He tells the honest truth, "I don't have a clue, Director. Agent Maine and I haven't been friends since you put someone else in his head."

He wishes he'd been able to properly appreciate the sour look that had flashes across the mans face.

* * *

 

That's the last he hears of Agent Maine because then they give him a new name.

The Meta.

The words are like a twisted knife in his chest because there are times when he wonders if this is his fault for pushing Maine away when he needed someone to help fight Sigma off. Other times though the words dull to a simple stab, because he wonders if Maine was already slipping away when Wash finished it and if he was right in knowing it wasn't him he was seeing anymore.

The day he hears of North's death is the day he stops associating Maine and the Meta at all.

Which is why he doesn't care when the man he loved tries to kill him, which is why he doesn't care as he's screaming at Church and Caboose to kill the fucker if they have the chance. Because the Meta isn't Maine. It has no reason to care about David who was born in Washington.

Which is why the familiar grunts and growls hurt so much when he's taken out of prison and paired with the meta, which is why he can't stand in the same space as the Meta when he takes off his helmet. Because the Meta isn't Maine. It has no right to look like Austin from Maine.

This is why he convinces himself that it only hurts physically when the Meta is shooting himself, which is why when the meta goes over that cliff he convinces himself he doesn't feel guilt for giving Sarge the tow cable.


	4. Agent Carolina

David has a lot of memories of Reagan. Memories of them young and building lego towers together, memories of them as children bumping hips in attempts to get to the snacks in the cupboard first, memories of them as teenagers and her leaning over his shoulder to help him with his homework, memories of them as young adults meeting with smiles during their leaves.

The first time Agent Washington meets Agent Carolina, however, none of that matters.

"Carolina!" York shouted. His hand was still on Wash's bicep, dragging the new Freelancer through the cafeteria despite how many times he'd tried to insist that he would be fine by himself. North Dakota was following after them, holding both his own tray and York's. "Hey, I brought you fresh meat."

"I'm not going to eat the kid if that's what you think."

A small smile flitted across Washington's lips under his helmet.

"I didn't say you were going to eat him."

"At the very least, it was implied she was going to..." North paused for a second in thought. "Tenderize him."

"I'm not going to do that until we get to the training room."

He hadn't been able to see who they were walking towards, or talking to, before now.   
They were making a beeline towards the gray table in the very back of the room. He could see her red hair, it stood out against the white armor of Maine who sat next to her, and her fingers sneaking across to steal sausages off the plate of her companion.

"Right so," York declared as they finally reached the table. North blew past them, setting the trays in his hands down before taking Wash's as well. York slapped a fist against the breastplate of Washington's armor, "Carolina, this is Washington. Washington, this is our leader Carolina."

He held a hand out for her, feeling ridiculously amused with himself, "Nice to meet you."

Her head whipped away from York and over at him. She stared for a long moment before saying, "I thought you were an ODST."

He let his hand drop back to his side as he shrugged, "I excelled enough to get noticed." When she didn't say anything, he added, "I would have told you but I never had the time. It happened quickly."

"I know, I know. It's just-" She let out a small sound of frustration. "He didn't tell me the new recruit was you."

"He never did make a habit of keeping us informed."

She stood up, letting out a soft sigh, "I suppose that's true."

She paused for a second before a small smile came over her lips. She take a step towards him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "It's great to see you."

"You can't see me, I'm wearing my armor," he pointed out as he maneuvered his arms around her as well. Despite the armor, he still felt it when she slammed her fist into his side. He let out a grunt. "Right, right. It's great to see you too."

There was a silent moment before York spoke, "Am I the only one with no idea what the fuck is going on?"

* * *

When Wash reached his bedroom, his muscles were sore down to the core.   
Aggression had always helped him when this date rolled around, but as he shook his shoulder out he was beginning to wonder if getting help from CT to get it all out was a bad decision.

"Hey, Maine," he greeted as he threw the door open. "Do you think you could-"  
He stopped.

Maine was lounging across his bed reading a book, but there was nothing odd about that. It was partly his room and they'd had the day off for once.

What was strange, was the fact that Carolina was sitting on his bed. She was wearing a pair of aqua marine shorts and a matching tank top. Her legs were crossed under her and a movie case sat in her lap.

"Hey," she greeted. She blew a strand of hair off her forehead. "You have a movie player in here, right? Because I was thinking we could watch one together but I didn't want to sit in the common room where everyone could walk in."

"We do." Wash walked over, examining the case in her lap. He felt his throat tighten. It was one of the ones Carolina watched every year on this date, one of the movies their mother had loved. He reached out, pressing his palm to her arm. "It'd be really nice to watch a movie with you. It's been a while."

He heard the creak of springs behind him. Looking back, he found Maine was standing up and stretching out.

"Where you going?" he questioned. Maine looked at him for a minute before pointing at his shoulder. "Going to get frozen peas for me? I was going to ask you but then I got caught up with Carolina." Maine grunted. Wash caught his hand before he left, pressing a kiss against the back of his hand. "Thank you."

Neither sibling spoke until the door had shut behind him.

"Lemme change into some pajamas," Wash declared finally. "You can put it in."

"Alright."

He pulled his dresser open, taking out a pair of sweatpants, and then grabbed the tee-shirt hanging off the post of Maine's bed.

"You know..." Carolina drawled as she squatted infront of the TV player and he slipped into the bathroom.

"Mmm?" Wash tossed his tee-shirt off, pulling Maine's on over his haed.

"I'm really glad you met Maine. You seem really happy."

Wash felt a blush creep up his cheeks at the words. He called back, "I am happy." As an afterthought, he tacked on, "The same goes for you, you know? With York."

There was nothing but a hum in reply.

A moment later, he reentered the room.

"Are we going to try and fit on the bed together?" he questioned, eyeing the way she was sprawled across it. "I'm not lanky anymore, you know?" Carolina quirked an eyebrow. He stared at her for a moment before letting out, "Okay, maybe a little lanky. But I do have some muscles and so do you and that bed is only slightly bigger then a twin."

"We can make it work."

He scrubbed at his face before saying, "Fine but when I push you off in the middle of the night it's your own fault."

It took them a minute to get situated.   
Wash ended up with his back against the far wall and his legs dropped over Carolina's while she laid on her stomach with her head on the other side.

Even though the wall was digging painfully into his shoulder blades, there was something comforting about finally being able to continue this ritual of their's from their childhood.

It was always easier to be around his sister on the anniversary of their mothers death then to be off surrounded by other marines who were trying to act tough. 

* * *

Wash has never liked the hospital wing of a ship.

There had been several before the Mother of Invention, when his father was working his way through various research programs, and all of them had been the same. Everything was white and gray - the walls, the counters, the blankets on the bed, even the bottles of pills in the locked cupboards - and Wash hated it.

When they were children whose biggest injuries were scrapped knees, he and Reagan had kept extra band-aids in their bedrooms. Reagan's where always blue with birds or sea creatures on them. His own where usually oranges with cats. And the ships were rarely stocked for their occasional broken limbs, because soldiers were careful or had bigger issues then a broken wrist, so whenever they occurred their father would get whoever his assistant on the ship was to take them to the Orthopedic's and they would come back with the brightest color they could find.

The hospital wing on the Mother of Invention was just like all the other ships he'd been on.

Typically, Wash wasn't inclined to staying here unless the Doctors were refusing to let him leave.   
He'd spent thirty minutes arguing with the Doctor to let him stay this time, before finally pulling the next of kin card. He'd tried to look sympathetic and not triumphant as the man hauled York out by his ear.

"You're such a pain in the ass," he sighed as he sat back down. He scooted his chair closer to the bed, grabbing Carolina's left hand in his own. They said it was natural for her to be recovering longer then York or North had. It hadn't stopped him from worrying about her. "It's supposed to be the otherway around, you know?"

He squeezed her hand tighter as he said, "I can't live without you, you know? I'll end up being fifty years old and still drinking out of silly straws and living with ten million cats. Which I think would be completely amazing but if you were awake right now, you'd tell me to grow up and probably hurt me in some way." He took a deep breath to calm himself. Then put on a soft smile. "I don't know why I said that. I know you well enough to know that you would never let the Director be the one to kill you. You'd be giving him too much credit."

Wash went silent for a minute before reaching up and brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Hurry up and wake up, Carolina. I can't wait to meet Eta and Iota."

He didn't leave her side for the rest of the night.

* * *

"Hey. Let me talk to him before you start."

Wash looked away from the needle looming over his arm to find Carolina standing in the doorway. Eta and Iota was standing on her flickering on her shoulders. They always were now days. He wondered vaguely if Epsilon would be the same or if it would be like Theta, who was too shy to come out often, and Delta, who was too reserved to.

The Doctors exchanged looks before one of them spoke up, "Agent Carolina we're under orders to have Agent Washington ready by the time the Director gets here with the Epsilon unit. We don't have time to-"

"Carolina is Agent Washington's next of kin," Eta spoke. It's voice rung like music notes through the air. "Military guidelines state that if she believes Agent Washington is making a decision while under duress, she can stop the procedure."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, "Do you believe Agent Washington is under mental duress?"

"Yes." Carolina stepped in, making her way to the bed and standing next to it. "Now leave until I say you can come back in."

The doctor stayed for a second before waving his hand. "Into the hallway team. Agent Carolina can take the fall out if he's not ready by the time the Director gets here."

Carolina waited until they had all left before she squatted down. She rested her arms on the edge of the bed and her chin on top of them.

"Do you really think I'm under duress?" Wash questioned, turning his head to look at her.

She shrugged. "I just wanted to talk to you before it happened."

"About?"

"How you're feeling? York told me you were worried about it."

He let out a gruff chuckle, throwing one arm over his eyes. "Of course York told you that."

"Hey." He peeked out under the limb, finding her frowning at her. "I wanted Eta and Iota, but if you don't want Epsilon then-"

"I have to take Epsilon," Wash interrupted. "It doesn't matter that my relationship fell apart because of an AI or that I'm absolutely terrified I'll be a different person once it's in my head. I have to take Epsilon because it's part of my job."

Carolina stared at him for a long moment before muttering, "Alright." She reached over, grabbing his hand and squeezing. "I gave South my training room section today, so I'll be outside the whole time your under. I'll try to be here when you wake up too but if the director makes e do a mandatory session, York or North will be here."

He pursed his lips before letting out, "But not Maine?"

"I was under the impression you didn't want to see him more then necessary."

"I don't."

The words had no sooner left his mouth then the doors slammed open and a smooth southern accent demanded, "What do you think you're doing, Agent Carolina? We've got a -"

"I know. I'm leaving." She squeezed his hand a final time before letting go. As she strolled out, she caught the directors gaze and said, "Don't do anything stupid with my baby brother."

He couldn't help the snicker that left his lips at the way their father's eyes seemed to narrow. "You're out of line, Agent Carolina."

"Sorry, sir."

* * *

The next time he sees his sister, is when he's at her funeral. Her body isn't there, they hadn't been able to recover that, but there's a photo of her sitting on a small metal box.

He filled it with things she'd loved. The teddy bear from their childhood that she had slept with until she died, the gemstone earrings they'd stolen from boxes their other had been packed into after her death, a box of betty crocker brownie mix, and the small engagement ring that had been sent to him with a note containing only the letters 'N.Y'.

He feels sick as he's standing in the doorway listening to people give his father condolences on his lost.

He feels sick again when she shows up at the blue base. Every moment around her makes his stomach churn and his head hurt. The fact that she had just shown up as though nothing had happened and demanded he help her kill their father had hurt to much for him to be comfortable around her.

He didn't have it in him to treat her the way he had before. It was all "yes boss'" and professionalism when the others weren't around.

He'd lost his sister when she'd gotten thrown off a cliff and she wasn't coming back. The only thing that helped him through that were the moments of reprieve when the Blues and Reds pulled the away from each other. 


End file.
